The Japan National Police Agency has decided to adopt AI-enhanced pre-crime surveillance cameras to bolster the security measures surrounding VIPs.
This step comes in response to the commemoration of the shocking assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the rising threats posed by what the government called “lone offenders.”
The use of AI in law enforcement is becoming commonplace globally. A 2019 study by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace revealed that 52 out of the 176 nations surveyed were incorporating AI tools into their policing strategies, Nikkei Asia reported.
Notably, the effectiveness of such technology in monitoring abnormal behavior and providing better deployment of police officers has been endorsed by Isao Itabashi, a counterterrorism expert at the Tokyo-based Council for Public Policy.
The National Police Agency plans to carry out tests on these AI-integrated cameras within the current fiscal year, set to conclude in March 2024. These cameras are capable of “behavior detection” and “facial recognition.” However, in a bid to protect privacy, only the former will be utilized, a decision in alignment with recent EU regulations that limit the use of facial recognition due to potential privacy concerns.
It is imperative to note that while the use of AI surveillance technology can prove to be an asset in enhancing security measures, it also raises critical questions about privacy.
